Searching for Forever
by 0IAmDex0
Summary: Erin Jacobs wants to find love. She goes to Paris for two weeks and meets up with old friends and meet new ones.There she meets Simon.It was HATE AT FIRST SIGHT.Do old feelings come back or will she find her forever before the past catches up?
1. Chapter 1 In the City of Love

_Hello! :) I'm sorry if the summary sucks or if it revealed too much of the story. This is my first published story so be kind. I don't know if you will like it but thank you if you do. I own this story so no copying even though you think you might have done a better job than me. So enjoy!_

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Chapter One

This is it. I'm finally going to search for love instead of waiting for it to come and storm right in my house. I told everyone I know that I was just going to fulfill my dreams of travelling the world. Actually, it wasn't a complete lie. I also wanted to explore the world. Just like my mother wanted to do before she went to a place nobody knew. I was only ten then. I was clueless to where she was going. I told my father that we should take a plane to go to where my mother went but he just wept and hugged me tightly, like I was the only thing that held him to the ground. I hate leaving my dad at home alone, technically, he's not alone. But this is the only thing that will keep me from literally exploding. I'm tired of my friends setting me up with guys who doesn't even have his own car or crashes with his buddies. I want a man who is independent and makes me happy. And that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Here I am getting aboard a plane to Paris, France, also known as the city of love. This was the first place my mother wrote on her list. She made a list. It was so predictable. When she was still alive, she filled the house with pictures and paintings of other countries. It was obvious that she wanted to travel but she chose to stay in the New York with my father. My dad hated flying- wait, let me rephrase that, my dad loathed flying. He said that it was such a hassle to pack everything, get on the plane and unpack when we get to place. But I knew he was just telling us this to cover up that he was very afraid of heights. Thank God that I never shared his fear.

At the front of the airport, my father, in his usual white oxford shirt, was trying to keep his tears at bay. I can't really blame the man. I've been with him ever since but now that I was twenty-three, he knew that I will eventually leave the nest.

"Make sure you'll come back in one piece after your big adventure, okay?" Dad reminded me for about the fourth time since we woke up this morning.

"I'll be back before you know it." I said with a smile. I gave my dad a great big hug but he didn't let go. "Dad, I'm going to be late for my flight if you don't let go."

He let me go. His eyes were watery and he was trying to not let them fall. I grabbed my bag and headed to the doors. I turned back to my father and waved goodbye.

"Good luck, Erin!" he shouted.

Luck is everything I'll need for this adventure.

The flight was smooth. I stepped out of the plane to greet the Parisian air. I grabbed my luggage and sat by the doors. My father thought that I was going to live in a hotel by myself but I don't have to. A friend of mine that went to live here in Paris about two years ago offered me to stay with here for my stay. I'm only going to be here for two weeks, so why bother paying when you can live for free. I snatched my phone from my pocket.

On the third ring, she answered. She told me that she was just parking the car. I fetched my bags and went out the doors. I looked around for her through the streams of people blocking my view. I was searching for long blonde hair but I saw none.

"Erin! Hey, look over here! _Excusez-moi!_" I turned to the familiar voice. I was greeted by a very quirky woman with long red locks. She grabbed me by my shoulders then pulled me in for a hug.

"God, I missed you so much. You're still as gorgeous as ever." Mia told me. I blushed. I wasn't the first time someone gave me this kind of compliment but I choose not to believe them.

Mia led me to her car. I rolled down my windows so that I can see better because it was tinted to black. I've known Mia since I was fifteen. She was my best friend but she fell in love much earlier than I did so she married and was whisked away to Paris. Before she had beautiful long blonde locks but it looks like she wanted to try something new. Mia still looked perfect though but instead of the girl-next-door vibe, she had a much more sensual vibe. Maybe it's because she was more vibrant and of course, she was happily married. While she made progress with her outer appearance, I never changed. I still had my wavy black hair. It now reached the middle of my back because I was too lazy to get it cut. We talked along the way to where I was going to stay with her.

"I'm going to tell you something but don't freak, okay?" she told while we passed this beautiful park. I think I saw playground there. I nodded for her to continue. She had that glint in her eyes and she was smiling so widely. "Erin, I'm-" I cut her off.

"Pregnant? Am I correct?" I asked. She pouted. "How the hell do you do that? How do you know what I was about to say?" She gestured wildly with her hands.

I threw my head back and laughed, "I'm just great at guessing things and hands on the wheel, please." She muttered an apology and set both hands on the wheel. I turned in my seat towards her. "So…does John know?"

"Not yet. But the only people who do know is you, my parents and Simon."

"Who's Simon?" I asked.

"Simon is John's half brother and also my brother-in-law."

"Half brother? I didn't know John had a half-brother." I said, confused. "Neither did we, since about two years ago. But Simon is surprisingly kind. He seems like an over-confident, arrogant and selfish guy but he's…not." She told me about this Simon guy. How he magically came to John's life. I think John had a hard time to cope with the fact that his father had an affair but he eventually accepted it because there was nothing he could do.

I'm going to be honest. I was once in love with John. He was my best friend but when Mia came waltzing into our lives, the look on his face, the love in his eyes whenever he looked at her, it was something I could never compete with. So I just let them be together. It wasn't a secret that they like each other but they were both oblivious of each other's feelings so it took time before they started dating. And then, look at them now, happily married, in the city of love and a baby on the way. I was happy for them but still jealous of the fact that they have each other and I have no one. Of course, I have my father for forever but I still want someone, someone that I can call my forever. My feelings for John had already faded years ago and I was ready to love again. I'm going to find that person or die alone trying. I was cut out of my reverie when Mia commented on my appearance.

"I see that your taste in clothes has finally changed. I love the outfit." I muttered a thank you. I used to be the kind of girl that only wore t-shirts and jeans for every occasion but not for **every** occasion. Today, I'm wearing denim shorts, my favorite white button-up shirt and a pair of Dr. Martens. It was simple but still stylish. "I think I would never see the day that you wore shorts. Whenever I made you wear them you would always say that it was too cold outside so you had an excuse to wear those jeans but let me tell you, those tight fitting jeans you always wear, makes your ass look mighty fine. All the guys at school waited for you to strut the halls just to look at your backside. No! They wanted to see every part of you."

"I did not strut the halls!" My cheeks heated up. I was sure that I would be mistaken as a tomato because I was blushing too hard. I didn't really worry about clothes before so I never really given any thought of what I looked like. The only thing I am grateful for about my appearance are my eyes. There are very blue and Mia once told me that it was the kind of blue eyes that you could see across the room. People say that they can easily read my emotions through my eyes. I guess I'm what people call an open book. But thank god, my eyes don't show if I'm lying because if it does I wouldn't be here right now.

"Yeah you do. You may not realize it but you do it. You sensually swing your hips whenever you walk. It's not the slutty kind of hip swaying but it was the I'm-an-innocent-girl-that-unconsciously-swings-her-hips-whenever-she-walks. Guys practically throw themselves at you but you don't even care."

"Thank you for emphasizing my hip swinging because I will now plunge a stick in my butt hole so that I will walk stiffly not sensually." I crossed my arms and pouted. I couldn't help to look over at Mia. Our eyes met, blue to brown, and laughed hysterically.

"I can't believe that the Ms. Erin Jacobs said something so violent."

"And I can't believe that that we aren't at your house yet, Mrs. Mia Van Kleef."

"Actually…we're here." She announced. We pulled right up front a very Victorian house. House is an understatement, it was more like a palace than a house.

"You live here with John?" I disbelievingly pointed at the magnificent structure. I looked over at Mia with wide eyes.

"Yeah…and Simon" She got out of the car before I could even comment on what she said.

I quickly opened the passenger door and got out. It was windy and the breeze swayed through my hair. I ran my hand over it and looked at where I was going to stay. It was very classy and Victorian style. I'm guessing John's mother offered with the designs of the house or maybe picked the house. She was very old-fashioned but I loved her like a second mother. I noticed a movement on the veranda but ignored it. I grabbed my other bags from the trunk and walked up to the front door where Mia was waiting. I sighed loudly. She smiled at me and she had that mischievous twinkle in her eyes, she grabbed the door knob.

"Ready?" I nodded. "_Bienvenue à la maison__,__Erin__!"_

Welcome home, it is.

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_Thank you for reading until the end and if you like you can read the next chapter when I'm finished with it but you don't have to if you don't like it :) Hoped you liked it though! Umm...so yeah...take care and wait for Chapter 2 :D_


	2. Chapter 2 Bad First Impression

**Hello! :) This chapter 2 of Searching for Forever. I hope you like it! Enjoy! :D**

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Chapter 2

Well, Damn! That was not the way I wanted my first day in Paris to start. But you can't really blame me for what I did. He was just edging me to do it. That rotten bastard! I was lying on my new bed, in my new but temporary home, and I was already destroying my sheets. I crumple them in my fists and let my anger pass. The house was very beautiful, it was clean and the walls were the colour of velvet. The floor was made of white marble that I wanted to walk on barefooted. My own room is lovely, Mia told me that she chose the colour of the room. The floor was mahogany, it was so smooth under my toes. The walls were turquoise blue and the ceilings were high and white. But what I like the most about this room is the four poster bed. It had white see-through drapes and comfy black covers. I still had to unpack but I was still irritated with that man. Simon Van Kleef is exactly what I thought he would, a selfish, conceited and judgmental bastard!

As I stepped through the front door a few minutes ago, I was excited to see what was inside. There was a small foyer then straight ahead was the stairs. Mia left my bags by the front door, she told me that there will be someone to bring them up to me room. She led me to what she called the music room. At the center of the room, was a white grand piano. It was beautiful, I wanted to play it but I didn't know how to. There were about four guitars, three violins and one shiny saxophone that were hanged on the wall. The walls were made of soft velvet cushions. I don't know the use of those cushions but Mia told me that it helped the sound of the instruments. We left the room and headed to the receiving room. It had the same appearance of the music room but without any instruments. I sat down on this very white sofa, I was afraid of sitting down at first because I thought that I will dirty it of its clean colour.

"Erin, sit down for a while. I'm just going to call for John and Simon." Then she noticed my terrified stare at the sofa. "I was like that too when I first saw it." With that she exited the room.

Instead of sitting down, I stood beside the window. There was this beautiful garden out at the back of the house. It was full of colorful flowers and at the right hand corner was a stone bench. I suddenly had a flashback of my mother, she once took me to a park and we always sat on a stone bench under an old fig tree, eating strawberry ice cream. I don't know how long I stood there, looking out the window, because I was alarmed by a deep voice.

"You could sit, you know." I quickly turned to the unfamiliar voice. My eyes met a pair of chocolate brown eyes covered by thick lashes. The man had unruly ash blonde hair, like he just got out of bed. He was leaning against the door way, smirking at me. I'm guessing this is Simon. Well he was very handsome, gorgeous perhaps and I know he knows it by the way he overly confidently stood.

"Well, I choose to stand. You must be Si-" He cut me off. He walked towards me and took my hand in his. "Simon Van Kleef. It's my delight pleasure to meet you, Ms. Jacobs." He slowly lifted my hand to his lips, kissing it softly.

"You are a bit old-fashioned, did you know?" I informed him. He snorted lightly, still holding my hand to his lips. I felt his hot breath on my hand when he replied, "You're the first person who ever told me that. But I do believe that I was born in the wrong era."

He lets go of my hand and gestured for me to sit on the sofa. I bit my lip and moved past him to sit on it. I looked at him and saw he was still on the same spot. He was a big guy but not the kind that you would find in front of a club. I see a few parts of him are similar to John, like the eyes. They were exactly the same shade of brown but John's eyes expressed kindness and humility, while this man's eyes were full of mischief and confidence. Their hair colours were very different, John had a soft mop of brown curls, while his half brother had this unruly ash blonde hair that sticks up to every direction but it suits him perfectly. I don't know if it was dyed or was it natural.

"It's not polite to stare, Ms. Jacobs." He said, sitting down on the chair beside the sofa. I blushed, embarrassed of being caught.

"I wasn't staring. I was merely looking at you to find if you had any similarities to John."

"Did you find any?" He rested his head on his hand.

"You have the same brown eyes but you're-" I pointed to my head to gesture to my hair.

"This is my natural colour, actually. I don't know how I got it because my mother had fiery red hair and my father had the same hair as John's." He ran his hand through his hair, making it more untidy.

"I'm sorry if I'm intruding but how did you became John's half brother?"

He sighed then smiled at me. "Well, when a man and a woman love each other, th-" I frowned. "I know how you we're made. I want to know how could Arthur have an affair while he had a wife and a child."

"It was hardly an affair. Arthur and John's mother separated a few months after John was born. He went here to clear his head or something. He met my mother when he was invited to some dance. One thing lead to another and then bam! She became pregnant but he still stayed with her until I was about two and a half but then he told her about his separation. They figured that he should go back to the US to take care of his original family but he still comes here to visit me and my mother. He told his wife about us and she surprisingly accepted it. So that's the story and John just found out when he came here. You should have seen the look on his face when I told him, "Welcome home, my dear brother." It was priceless."

"Of course, he would find it astonishing. He just found out that he had a half brother. You should have cut him some slack at that time. Not laughing at his reaction to that matter." I was nearly shouting in anger. How dare he? How dare this man find John's horrified and surprised reaction so amusing.

"Calm down. You rather defend him so fully." He informed me with a glint in his eyes that he knows something he shouldn't.

"I defend him because he's one of my best friends. For Pete's sake, he ju-" He cut me off again. "You're in love with him, aren't you?" He quirked his head to the side, bemused. I blushed, beet red. I opened my mouth to deny it but no sound came out. He suddenly threw his head back and laughed. He stood up and faced me.

"This is classic. You're in love with your best friend's husband. I can't register that thought to my mind." He teased. Then his amused expression turned to something serious. "That's what you came here for. You're trying to steal John from dear Mia. A vacation is only an excuse, you're going to make him fall for you!" He accused. With every word, my anger rose. I shot up from where I was sitting and stood right in front of him, looking up at his face.

"How dare you? How dare you accuse me of trying to steal Mia's happiness by making it my own. I would never do that. Yes! John was my first love but those feeling have long past since I found out he had an interest in Mia. I am not some selfish whore that would do such a cruel thing. I dare say that you are selfish and conceited to accuse me of something that is so not true for your own amusement." I was breathless and Simon's expression was a mixture of anger, disbelief and a touch of sadness.

"You think so lowly of me. Forgive me for judging you so quickly but I would think much differently if you didn't show much of your legs. You look like some cheap, desperate prostitute."

SLAP!

My chest was heaving, burning heat in my cheeks, and my hand was throbbing with how hard I slapped him. There was a gasp behind me and I turned quickly to see the happy couple with shocked expressions. I turned back to Simon who was still bewildered, touching his palm to his cheek that was reddening. He looked at me with wide brown eyes. I didn't know what came over me but his words went straight to my heart and it hurt really bad. The pain in my heart did not justify the pain I have given him.

I heard my name being called, it was John. He was beside me in an instant and had his arm around my waist. I vision blurred and I knew there were tears that will fall. I wouldn't let it happen in front of Simon. Suddenly, I was being walked out of the room. I'm guessing Mia is with Simon because she was not at my side. John walked me up to the stairs and led me to my room.

This is where I'm currently heaving with hate. John apologized for his brother's behavior but it wasn't good enough. It will never be good enough. I was angry and was also afraid. I was afraid that because of my violence towards Simon, that he will tell John and Mia about what he found out. But it wouldn't matter anymore because those unrequited feelings have vanished.

I swear on my life that I will hate Simon Van Kleef, whatever the circumstances.

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**Thank you for reaching the end of chapter 2. Chapter 3 is coming up :D **


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